New book written by Prof. Sergio DellaPergola says Israeli government should encourage citizens with tax breaks to have third and fourth child, not seventh and eighth

Ynetnews|Published: 24.05.11 , 08:47

After five years of intensive research and analysis, the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) is set to release its new book, “Jewish Population Policies: Demographic Trends and Options in Israel and in the Diaspora,” written by Professor Sergio DellaPergola.

The book, the first of its kind, will provide policy recommendations to both the Israeli government and to Jewish organizations and communities worldwide.

The JPPI’s new, action-oriented book makes recommendations to meet the Jewish demographic challenges, all of which are worthy of serious debate.

The main recommendations include establishing final borders of the State of Israel;
facilitating cultural absorption of non-Jewish members of Jewish households into a Jewish context and promote a friendlier approach to conversion; assist with the return of Israelis abroad; granting of absentee voting privileges for Israelis temporarily living abroad; and reducing obstacles that interfere with the birth of a third and fourth child in Israeli families and develop conditions that may facilitate Jewish family growth in both Israel and the Diaspora.

DellaPergola presents the Jewish world with the imperative of putting demographic and population data at the forefront of consideration and policy making. “Jewish Population Policies” will offer the broadest possible outlook on Jewish demography and Jewish peoplehood to date, now being published for the first time in this all-encompassing book.

'Benefits to encourage more children'

The changing size and geography of the Jewish people, the Jewish birthrate, migration to and from Israel and in the major Diaspora communities, assimilation and intermarriage, conversion, and the maintaining of Jewish identification are all investigated, understood, and translated into a platform for policy action.

“This new book is a joint effort by the JPPI staff, headed by Professor DellaPergola, and it is a groundbreaking publication,” said JPPI President Avinoam Bar-Yosef. “This work of unprecedented scope will provide each politician and policy maker the tools to make the future of Israel and its interaction with the Jewish Diaspora more secure.

"The goal is not just to examine data, but also to understand what kind of policy is required to implement following that data. An example of this would be the book’s recommendation that there should be benefits to encourage taxpayers in Israel to have more children.

"In this case, we recommend giving housing loans for families who want to enlarge their living space following the birth of their third child, and giving tax benefits when buying a larger vehicle following the birth of the fourth child.”

Professor Sergio DellaPergola is a prominent and respected demographer of the Jewish people. He has never seen demographic data as dry statistics, but rather as a platform to focus our attention on the implications of population trends for the future strength and security of the Jewish people.

In this JPPI project, he has compiled key demographic trends in Israel and the diaspora with penetrating policy recommendations that Jewish leaders must consider to meet the profound challenges they pose.